The Secrets that Lie in Living Death
by ali7
Summary: During the summer holidays before the Weasleys go back to school, there’s a top secret meeting with the Order at the Burrow, which Neville Longbottom, of all people, attends. Everyone seems to be trying to keep the real meaning from Ginny, Ron, Hermion
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

Prologue  
  
Despite his continuing determination to ignore Harry, Uncle Vernon couldn't help shuddering when what looked like a hyperactive furball shot through the kitchen window and landed amidst Harry's meagre portion of bacon.  
  
"What on earth is that, boy?" he bellowed, spraying Harry with crumbs.  
  
"It's Pig."  
  
"Pig? Don't be stupid boy, what is it?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Pig, Ron's owl."  
  
"Bloody wizards," muttered Uncle Vernon ominously. "Why can't they just call the damned thing an owl, instead of some other, ridiculous..."  
  
"Actually, its name's Pigwidgeon and it..." Harry's voice trailed off at the look on his uncle's face. He took the letter from Pig's talon and read it, ducking as the owl zoomed off, back around the room again. Then, after scribbling down a couple of words, and grinning broadly, he called Pig to him and threw him out of the window.  
  
"Uncle Vernon?"  
  
Uncle Vernon grunted.  
  
"I'm being picked up in about an hour."  
  
"What?" Aunt Petunia sat bolt upright.  
  
"Yes." Then Harry added brightly for good measure, "They'll be travelling the Muggle way, no-one'll notice them. Not unless the neighbours have nothing better to do and spend all their time watching everyone who troops up the garden path."  
  
"Vernon," gasped Aunt Petunia. "What'll they think?"  
  
Harry observed her dismay with a feeling of elation. He didn't think it was necessary to tell the Dursleys that it'd only be Ron and the twins collecting him; panicking about how they would explain away Moody wouldn't do them any harm for another hour.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Ginny!" Ginny looked up from her breakfast, leaning back in her chair to speak to Mrs Weasley, who was bustling down the stairs, brandishing her wand in one hand, Errol hanging limply from her other. "Yes Mum?"  
  
"Where are your brothers?" They'd done it again, Ginny thought. Disappeared off to goodness knows where, without even telling her that they were going. It really was too bad; just wait until they got home.  
  
"You know dear, if it wasn't for Ron having disappeared as well, I'd have just assumed that Fred and George had gone to work early again."  
  
"They've probably gone to pick up Harry, Mum." She smiled bitterly to herself as she thought of the trouble that they were going to be in with Mrs Weasley when they got back; ever since that incident in Ron's second year, they hadn't been trusted. It was their fault for leaving her out again. "I know that they didn't want him to think that they were leaving him with the Muggles on purpose. You know what a fuss he made last summer; he really did go on at them. None of us wanted to go through that again."  
  
Mrs Weasley turned sharply to look at Ginny. "Ginny, that's not like you!" she said. "You know that Harry was under a lot of stress at that point."  
  
Ginny shrugged. She didn't really care what Harry did, at least, that's what she constantly told herself. "Who's the letter for?"  
  
They both looked down at Errol, who was waving his wings feebly in an attempt to fly on to the table.  
  
"Oh my goodness, I quite forgot!" said Mrs Weasley, lifting him up to peer anxiously at him, before placing him on the kitchen table. "Two letters, both from Dean Thomas."  
  
She looked at Ginny. If she expected any kind of interesting response she was disappointed; Ginny merely smiled, and then asked curiously, "Two?"  
  
"Yes two. One for you, and the other for the twins and Ron."  
  
Ginny leaned over her plate, her breakfast half-eaten, to take both letters from Errol's grasp. He gave a sort of sigh, and then flopped off the table and into a bowl full of dirty plates.  
  
Mrs Weasley picked him up, and, with a resigned expression on her face, chose to ignore the fact that Ginny had both of the letters.  
  
Dear Ginny,  
Thanks for your letter. I agree – Sunday was great fun, especially the picnic. I don't think any of my family will ever forget you laughing, as we rode round the fields on my broomstick. I know that I can't.  
I'm glad you enjoyed the match. I wasn't sure whther you'd like football, seeing that it's a Muggle sport and there isn't a broomstick in sight. My sisters were absolutely flabbergasted when I told them that we'd gone to a game. They said that I was completely useless with girls and that a (and here I quote directly) 'gorgeous girl like Ginny Weasly' will probably leave me as soon as someone more 'romantically-minded' comes along. I agree with them - at least about the wonderful girlfriend part – I still can't believe how lucky I am to have a wonderful girlfriend like you.  
Well, gotta go, I've still got a potions essay to write. See you soon.  
Love  
Dean  
xxx  
  
She smiled as she put her letter down, and then frowned as she picked up the second letter. It was short but to the point.  
  
To Ron, Fred and George,  
Don't worry; you've got nothing to worry about. I wouldn't dream of hurting Ginny and I certainly wouldn't let anyone else hurt her either. Also Ron, I promise you, I won't encourage or persuade Ginny to do anything that she doesn't want to do; there'll be no need for any impaling. She's a great girl and I'll make sure that I look after her.  
See you at Hogwarts  
Dean  
  
"Well Harry, here we are," said Ron, broom in hand. "Home sweet home."  
  
"Yeah Harry, we couldn't leave you with the Dursleys all summer," added Fred. "Anyway, we'd better be off."  
  
"Business is blooming though, Fred," put in George. "We could always stay and have a cup of tea with Harry."  
  
Harry grinned at them. "Thanks you three. It's great to be back here again and see everyone."  
  
Ron unlocked the door and they walked in.  
  
Mrs Weasley stood in front of them. Immediately Harry felt the twins tense up beside him, and Ron gulped audibly. He braced himself for the explosion. Then, to his amazement, she put her finger to her lips.  
  
"You boys had better creep upstairs quietly. I'll deal with you later. Ginny's furious," she whispered furtively.  
  
"Why?" ashed Ron, his face displaying his confusion.  
  
"For goodness sake Ron, keep your voice down. Do you want her to hear you? If you must know, we received two letters, about fifteen minutes ago, from Dean Thomas – one which was addressed to you three. Ginny read both of thm. She didn't seem too pleased with what she read."  
  
"But we only..." Ron began, but he didn't get far.  
  
"Ron!"  
  
He winced.  
  
"Fred, George!"  
  
"On second thoughts Harry, we'd better leave for work now."  
  
"Yeah, we don't want to be late."  
  
"Oh no you don't!" Ginny stormed out of the kitchen, her fist clenched tightly around Dean's second letter.  
  
"Oh dear," said Ron.  
  
"Oh dear? I'll give you 'Oh dear', Ronald Weasley! Who gave you permission to write to my boyfriend and warn him that if he didn't behave, you'd kill him?"  
  
"Ah," began Fred.  
  
"Well," George started.  
  
"We were only looking out for you, Gn," said Ron.  
  
"Ron! I'm nearly sixteen! I can look after myself! Honestly, brothers!" and with that, Ginny turned on her heel as if about to stalk out, before turning back and saying, with a smirk on her face, "It's not as if we did anything that bad – it was all legal."  
  
Ron's eyes almost popped out of his had. "But...Gin...that's really...I mean... you should be...well...I don't know what to say!"  
  
"That makes a change, I don't think!" she spat out, before really tuning and walking out.  
  
"Well," said Fred. "She certainly knows how to make an exit."  
  
Ginny slammed her bedroom door loudly behind her and flung herself on to her bed. She lay back, watching the enchanted clouds floating lazily along her ceiling. Hermione had charmed it last year to look like the sky on a summer's day, while she'd stayed in the summer. It had been rather advanced charm-work for a teenage witch; but then again, Hermione was no ordinary witch.  
  
Ginny sighed before sitting up. It wasn't fair, everyone treated her like a baby and she wasn't one, not anymore. She'd been possessed by Him and she'd fought the Death Eaers in the Department of Mysteries. If it came to that, she'd faced even more than Fred and George. She though again of Tom. He'd treated her like an adult, he hadn't treated her like a child; all right, he'd tried to kill her, but at least he didn't pretend she was innocent and treat her as if she was. Oh bother her brothers; they all acted as if she didn't know...well...what they did behind her back. She wasn't deaf; it wasn't her fault that Bill forgot to ut silencing charms on his rom that time in his sixth year. They'd all be shocked if they could read her mind, but she just wasn't innocent anymore.  
  
There was a knock at her door.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Harry put his head round. "Hi."  
  
"Oh, it's you. I mean," she amended, seeing his lightly taken aback look. "I thought it was Mum or one of the twins. Look I'm sorry about spoiling you arrival. I was just so annoyed..."  
  
"Don't worry about it, it was actually quite funny. Reminded me of my arrival at the Burrow in my second year."  
  
"I remember – Mum was furious with the boys for picking you up in Dad's flying car."  
  
"Yeah, it wasn't exactly an ordinary welcome. Look, I just wanted to say hi, and to tell you that Pig's just come back from Hermione's. She's traveling up to London tomorrow; we're going to meet her in Diagon Alley and we were wondering whether you wanted to come; only the others didn't have the guts to come and ask."  
  
"Of course I'll come. "Only..."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Tell Mum that I'm writing to Luna."  
  
"To Luna?" Harry looked completely bewildered.  
  
"That's right, Luna Lovegood. You see, I promised her that we'd meet up at some point."  
  
"Yeah, sure. No problem."  
  
"And Harry, we're all really sorry about Sirius. Grimmauld Place isn't the same without him. We couldn't bear it, it seems so empty. That's why we're here and not there."  
  
Harry froze for a second, taking in what she had said. Then he quietly left the room.  
  
Mr Lovegood, editor of the infamous paper, The Quibbler, glanced up as his daughter drifted into his study. His table, covered as it was with photos from the Heliopath expedition, gave an audible sigh of relief as Luna swept some into a box, making some space for the steaming mug of butterbeer which she absentmindedly placed down.  
  
"Thank you, sweetheart."  
  
"That's alright. Daddy?"  
  
"Hmm?" Mr Lovegood tore himself away from a fascinating report on 'the impact of garden gnomes on today's society' and looked up at his hovering daughter, who was in fact, literally hovering in mid-air.  
  
"The rogue kitchen cabinet again?"  
  
"Yes, you'll have to fix it at some point. Well, I was wondering whether I could go to Ginny Weasley's house today for a week?"  
  
"Ginny Weasley? Who's she?"  
  
"One of my school friends. And Harry Potter's going to be there."  
  
"Harry Potter? Great interviewee," Mr Lovegood went back to the report. "Yes darling, you can go."  
  
"Thanks, I'll see you in about a week then? At about ten?"  
  
"Hmm." Mr Lovegood was reabsorbed in the report.  
  
Luna paused, smiling vaguely, and then went to send the owl back to Ginny.  
  
Ron was eating cold toast rather dejectedly when Ginny finally came down. He saw her smile in an apologetically way at Harry, and then Harry smile back. Maybe she'd cooled down and wasn't as cross with him anymore. She saw him look at her and glared.  
  
"Look Gin, I'm really sorry," he blurted out.  
  
"Not good enough."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You aren't getting off that easily. You're going to beg for forgiveness." He heard Harry snort beside him. Great, this was all he needed.  
  
"Alright, I promise I won't bother your boyfriends ever again." He could say that with a clear conscience; dark looks didn't count as bothering.  
  
"Or threaten to murder them in cold blood?"  
  
That was too much. "Ginny, I've never done that! I simply..."  
  
"...encourage them never to come anywhere near me?" she finished for him. He looked uncomfortable. "No Ginny...well...I mean..."  
  
"What's the point of going out with someone if you don't let them coming within touching distance. No, don't interrupt Ron, I expect that's the best apology I'm going to get from you, but your one to Dean had better be a lot better."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes, I'll be reading it before you send it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh and by the way, we're meeting up with Luna in Diagon Alley."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yes...stop repeating yourself Ron...I'm planning to buy some new dress robes with the money Charlie gave me for my birthday, and she's going to help me choose...don't pull that face Ron, she's got perfectly good taste in clothes... and you're to be polite to her as she'll be coming round the Alley with us and Hermione. See you later," and she swept out of the room, leaving him gaping behind her.  
  
"Well," he remarked to Harry. "She's getting a bit above herself. You'd think I'd done something wrong!"  
  
It was about one o'clock in the afternoon when the woman stood at the front door of the Burrow. Her hair, scraped back into a bun, was unnaturally neat, and her nose resembled an upside down teapot's spout. She brushed some miniscule flecks of dust off her robes before rapping twice, smartly on the door, glancing over her shoulder in a somewhat furtive manner. The door opened and Molly Weasley stood there. Her eyes widened slightly, and then she pulled the woman inside, closing the door quickly behind her.  
  
She turned to face the woman, who, surprisingly, was screwing up her face as if she was concentrating very hard. There was a 'pop' and she changed appearances all together. Before Mooy Weasley stood Nymphadora Tonks, slumping against the wall and breathing very hard.  
  
"Wotcher Molly! Gotta be quick; got to speak to everyone else as well – Dumbledore wants to know whether the Order can meet here tomorrow night."  
  
Molly paled visibly, "What for?"  
  
"Dunno, we're all as much in the dark as you," said Tonks.  
  
"Who's going to be coming?" asked Molly, working out calculations for dinner.  
  
"The whole Order's gonna come, even Dmbledore himself. Oh yeah, he's asked Bill to bring the French girl with him, what's her name, Flower or something?"  
  
"Fleur, yes," murmered the older woman. "There's no mention of what this is all about?"  
  
"Nope!" replied Tonks. "And I was told to be completely unrecognizable, so that even if people did try to follow me, I'd be undercover."  
  
"People following you? But that's...that's very worrying Tonks. Don't you think...?"  
  
"Don't worry Molly, I changed so many times on my way here that I'll have to rest for a week to get over it!" she joked. "No one knows that I came here. Oh, and I was told to ask you whether the Longbottoms could come, Neville and his grandother? It's apparently got something to do with them."  
  
"Of course they can, but that'll be twenty-eight people with all of my lot! I don't know how we'll fit them all in!"  
  
"It's nothing that a few enlargement charms won't sort out. Well, I've delivered the message, I'd better be off; I'll see you tomorrow then?"  
  
"Yes, tomorrow."  
  
"Give my love to the kids and tell the twins that their Extendable Ears are wnderful. The Order's found them very useful so far!" and wit that, she Disapparated.  
  
Molly Weasley stood there for a moment, shaking her head, and then bustled through to the kitchen, where she immediatelt set to work with domestic charms, peeling potatoes and chopping carrots.  
  
When Harry and Ron wandered into the kitchen later that afternoon, after having spent a good hour swooping around on their broomsticks, they were amazed to see the huge pile of vegetables that were on the kitchen table. Saucepans of potatoes were bubbling on the cooker, and about three knives had finished peeling a mound of carrots and were beginning to chop them.  
  
When Mrs Weasley caught sight of them, she called out instructons: "Ron, you do the gravy and Harry, you take charge of the parsnips; I believe that Muggles do them quite well."  
  
"What on earth?" asked Ron.  
  
"The Order's coming for dinner tomorrow night and there's going to be a meeting afterwards. There'll be about twenty-eight of us, so I though it'd probably be best if we started on the vegetables now. I'm planning on doing a roast."  
  
"The Order? Wicked! D'you think thay'll let us come to the meeting?" Ron begged.  
  
Harry had already started peeling the parsnips.  
  
"I shouldn't think so...do start the gravy Ron...and I think that Dumbledore will be the one to decide who comes to the meeting."  
  
Harry's head snapped up, "Dumbledore's going to be here? But isn't he busy doing stuff for the Ministry?"  
  
Mrs Weasley sighed, "I don't know boys, I only know what Tonks told me: that there's a meeting tomorrow night; the whole of the Order's coming; as well as the Longbottoms."  
  
"The Longbottoms?"  
  
"Yes, Neville and his grandmother."  
  
"Hey Harry," Ron looked excited as he twirled his wand over a saucepan, gravy gushing out from its end. "D'you think they've found out a way to cure Neville'd parents?"  
  
Harry looked doubtful, "I don't think so, it'd be all over the Daily Prphet if they had; the Ministry would want to show that they're doing something right."  
  
Mrs Weasley sighed again; "Well. I don't know how I'm going to cope tomorrow. What with this meeting and with Hermione and Luna coming to stay..."  
  
Ron's hand halted, mid-twirl, "Loony Luna's coming to stay?"  
  
"Ronald Weasley! That's not nice! How dare you be so rude! If you even so much as suggest such a thing to the poor girl when she's staying, I'll make you wish that you'd never been born!"  
  
Harry stifled a smile.  
  
"I've never even so much as winced when we've had all of your friends round, and nowyou're making a fuss because you aren' best friends with Ginny's guest! Well, now I know what she meant about prejudices!"  
  
Ron muttered sullenly under his breath as Mrs Weasley ranted. "Alright Mum, I'm sorry. I won't say it again."  
  
Mrs Weasley sopped shouting. "I should hope not."  
  
"But Ginny invited her?"  
  
"Yes Ron, she is entitled to have someone round; you've had Harry round evey year, and Hermione quite a lot as well; she's never had anyone."  
  
"Bet she did it on purpose," Ron muttered to Harry. "That'd be her idea of revenge."  
  
Harry grinned. "You never know Ron, he muttered back. "You and Luna might get on."  
  
The door of number nintey-three, Diagon Alley creaked open and a bell rang shrilly. Fred Weasley hurried out from a small room to behind the counter. "Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, how may I help?"  
  
He saw a tall, darkly-robed figure standing, his back to the counter.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
There was no response; the figure merely picked up a trick want, as if it hadn't heard Fred.  
  
"George?" called Fred. "We've got a customer."  
  
George hurried out, just as Fred had done minutes before, and stared at the figure. Then, before their very eyes, the figure suddenly moved, stabbing the toy chicken that had appeared in place of the wand in its hand, with a knife.  
  
"Oi! Are you gonna pay for that?" shouted out George, his temper getting the better of him. "Who d'you think you are?"  
  
The figure turned to look at him. She smiled cruelly, for it was a woman under that hood; the same woman who had tortured Frank and Alice Longbottom into madness; the same woman whose charm had sent Sirius Black to his death. Bellatrix Lestrange. Fred knew instinctively who she was; the others had described her and she looked, despite the irony of it, very like Sirius.  
  
"Well, if it isn't the brats of the blood traitor," she sneered, goading them, her hollow face twisted with bitterness. "Aren't you going to say anything, brats?"  
  
She pulled out her wand.  
  
Suddenly, a huge net came crashing down upon her, its charmed threads glinting silver.  
  
Bellatrix snarled at them.  
  
The twins jumped as the bell rang again, and Bill Weasley walked into the shop, Fleaur Delacour at his side. "What the hell's going on here?" he demanded, looking from the twins to the woman, lying in a crumpled heap under the net.  
  
"Let us introduce you, dear brother," said Fre, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice, "To Bellatrix Lestrange, murderer, torturer and loyal Death Eater."  
  
"Good Lord! Have you called the Ministry?"  
  
"We had a Ministry-alerting system installed last week," answered George. He was as white as a sheet, and clearly very shaken. "She won't be able to Apparate or harm us from under there."  
  
Fleur looked at her curiously. "What waz ze doin' 'ere zough? Ze didn't 'urt eezer of you did ze?" she asked, turning to face the twins.  
  
"No, ze, I mean she, didn't," answered Fred, grinning slightly.  
  
At that moment Kingsley Shacklebolt flung open the door, and rushed in, followed by other Ministry officials. He pointed his wand round the room, "Nobody move until I say so!" Then he saw Bellatrix and lowered his wand. "Good grief. Fred, George, what on earth's going on here?"  
  
"She just walked in," murmured George. "We...I..."  
  
Kingsley nodded at him seriously, "You're lucky you caught her in that net, otherwise I doubt you'd still be standing there! Oh, hello Bill and, Miss Delacour, isn't it?  
  
Bill glanced at him. "Kingsley, nice to see you, though I would have preferred it to be under different circumstances."  
  
"Yez, eet zertainly iz. And pleaze call me Fleur," she extended a well- manicured hand out to him. He took it with the same faint smile that every man seemed to wear after coming into contact with her.  
  
Bill coughed subtly, eyes dancing, and Kingsley quickly straightened up.  
  
"I don't know what Fudge is going to say about this, I'd like to see him try and explain this one away," he remarked to Bill, still slightly flushed, and then he turned to the twins. "Don't worry about this, you two, we'll get it all sorted out."  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Oh, by the way," he lowered his voice so that the other Ministry officials behind him couldn't hear, "Have you got anymore of those Extendable Ears? They're very good for keeping an eye, or should I say an ear, on Fudge."  
  
George drew himself up to his full height, which was all of five foot six, "We'd be hnoured to help!"  
  
A 100% discount okay, Kingsley?" asked Fred.  
  
"It's been nice doing business with you boys!"  
  
Bill looked from the Ministry official to his two brothers and back again. He began to laugh... 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
He stood in the shadows, a single shaft of light falling on to his hair, illuminating it. He watched them, their hair glinting in the sunlight, smiling and laughing, and he scowled, contorting his face with bitterness. Then he turned and walked purposefully down, deeper into Knockturn Alley.  
  
"Luna!" A girl with straggly blond hair turned and smiled vaguely as Ginny rushed up to her.  
  
"Hello Ginny! You won't believe what Daddy's found! Evidence of Fudge's army of Heliopaths!"  
  
A choking sound came from Hermione. Ron and Harry grinned at each other.  
  
"That's great! You must tell me all about it." Ginny span round to face the others. "We're off to Madame Malkim's, meet you in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour in an hour!" and, linking arms with Luna, they wandered off in the general direction of the robes store, chattering animatedly.  
  
They were just out of earshot when Hermione smiled, despite herself. "Luna might be totally batty, but Ginny'll be alright with her."  
  
"Yeah, well, I just hope that Ginny buys her own robes and doesn't go for Luna's type of thing," said Ron. "Or buys something unsuitable."  
  
They stared after the two girls; retreating backs for a moment and then Hermione said, "Come on, I want to go to Flourish and Blotts."  
  
Ron and Harry groaned.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is it just me," asked Ron cheerfully to Harry, "Or do we always go to Flourish and Blotts when we come here?"  
  
"Yeah, just what I was thinking."  
  
"Well, one more year won't make much of a difference then," said Hermione triumphantly. "Come on."  
  
Harry shrugged and they followed her.  
  
"So, where's your mum then, Ron?" asked Hermione.  
  
"At home, getting tea ready for the Order. There's gonna a massive meeting at our place and everyone's coming, even Dumbledore."  
  
"And Neville," added Harry. "But Mrs Weasley didn't seem to know what it was about."  
  
"More like didn't want to tell us."  
  
"Well, I'm sure she has her reasons," said Hermione, sensibly.  
  
"Hermione, we fought Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries two months ago, surely that's a reason for us to know what's going on?"  
  
"Yes, well," they paused as they came to the front of the shop, "I just think that there's no point in us getting our hopes up. Every year they don't tell us what's going on and every year we figure it out for ourselves; so we might as well save our breath and just try and pick up any information we can."  
  
Ron looked at her in surprise. "And how are we supposed to find out anything if we're not in there?"  
  
"Extendable Ears."  
  
Ron shook his head. "Surely even you know that Mum puts an Impurtable Charm on the kitchen door every time there's a meeting."  
  
Hermione flushed red and mumbled something.  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"I asked the twins to develop them, okay?" A grin spread across Ron's face. "I did a bit of research and sent it to them and they said to pop in to the shop today and see if the Ears were ready yet."  
  
Ron whooped for joy. "You genius! Ha! She reckoned without you when she told us about the charm!" Then, to Hermione's amazement and Harry's amusement, he picked Hermione up and swung her round.  
  
Hermione stared at him and he put her down quickly, the tips of his ears bright red, clashing with his hair. "Come on," he mumbled, and hurried into Flourish and Blotts. Harry followed, shaking his head. Hermione paused, smiling, then went in after both of them.  
  
"Well Bill, I muz go, I've got loz o' work to do."  
  
Bill Weasley sat up and caught Fleur's hand.  
  
She smiled at him indulgently and then pulled away. "I really muz go Bill, ze goblinz weel be wondering where I am."  
  
"Damn the goblins! Fleur...I..."  
  
She stopped and looked at him, "I muz go, I 'ave to. I'll meet you at ze Leaky Cauldron later, and zen we can go to your 'ouze, oui?"  
  
"Alright, I'll see you later then, at about twelve, for lunch?"  
  
She nodded. "I weel be zere," and then she left his office.  
  
Bill sighed and then started shuffling the papers on his desk. He didn't know why, but there was something about her. She'd never tried to charm him veela style, and yet...Well, it would be interesting at the meeting, even if Fred and George did steal the show with their enactments of Bellatrix's 'little visit' as they were now calling it. Fleur would probably get on with Ginny and that friend of hers, but Hermione wouldn't be able to stand her, at least, not for the first half-hour or so while Ron was attempting to impress Fleur. What was happening between her and Ron these days anyway? He could have sworn that Ron liked her, but being Ron, he probably didn't realise it yet; despite the fact that everyone else had.  
  
Oh well. He picked up his pen and began to go through his report on the security measures of Gringotts.  
  
After one and a half fruitless hours of searching, Ginny was just about ready to give up. "I love that colour on you Luna, but there's no way that it'd suit me," she said firmly to the luminous pink gown that had been offered.  
  
"This?"  
  
Ginny looked hard at the purple and black stripy chiffon. "Not really me."  
  
"Well, how about this green?" Luna asked, holding up a silken sheen of emerald green.  
  
"Luna, I don't think..." she looked at it again. "Oh, that's lovely," she breathed. "Madame Malkim?" The lady bustled over. "Do you think you could make some dress robes for me from this?"  
  
"Of course I could. If you'd just like to go and stand on one of the stools round the corner; I'll be over in a minute."  
  
Ginny, with Luna following her, turned the corner and stepped up on to the stool just as, "Well, well, who have we here?" Draco Malfoy was smirking at her.  
  
Inwardly, Ginny groaned. "Recovered from the Bat-Bogeys yet, Malfoy?"  
  
A pink tinge coloured his pale cheeks, "What've you done to get some new robes from here, Weasel? Sold your house? Oh wait, that wouldn't raise enough money, would it?"  
  
"Actually, Ferret, I've come into a bit of money." Madame Malkim started taking measurements. "Oh. Thank you."  
  
"What are you buying? A dress to impress Potter?"  
  
"A dress to impress my boyfriend."  
  
Malfoy's head turned sharply to look at her, his robes swinging round. Brushing off the assistant's plea for him to keep still, he said, "You have a boyfriend? How much did you have to pay him?"  
  
Ginny flushed, but before she could answer, Luna spoke. "You're Lucius Malfoy's son, aren't you? Is it true that your mother's constantly under the Imperious Curse?"  
  
His eyes flashed as he retorted, "Certainly not."  
  
"Miss Weasley, if you'd like to go and try the dress on now." Ginny looked down and saw a dress lying in Madame Malkim's arms.  
  
"Yes, thank you," and she slipped out into the changing room with it; Luna and Malfoy were arguing fiercely and didn't even notice.  
  
When she walked out at last, the green robes falling over her in glimmering folds, Luna and Malfoy were still glaring at each other, but at least they had stopped yelling. She turned to Luna, "What do you think?"  
  
Malfoy called over, "Weasley, tell that loopy friend of yours that at least my father isn't off his rocker."  
  
Ginny snapped. She whirled round and took a step towards him. "Shut up! At least Luna's dad didn't try to kill me! At least she's a decent person! At least she's trustworthy and you know that you can say whatever you want in front of her without worrying about whether she's going to go and tell You-Know-Who! And at least she's not a sadistic bastard who's so messed up that he has to go round insulting everyone else because they've actually got a life!"  
  
Malfoy shut up. Then, to her surprise, he spoke. "Nice dress Weasley."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nice dress."  
  
She looked down at it and blushed self-consciously at how low the neckline was. She opened her mouth to reply just as the door of the shop opened and Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in, laden down with bags.  
  
"Hey, Weasley!" Malfoy called, smirking broadly.  
  
Ron glowered at him.  
  
"Your sister's a bit of alright now, isn't she? All curvy."  
  
Ron growled and leapt forward, meaning to rearrange his face but someone got there quicker; Harry had Malfoy by the edge of his robes. "Take that back Malfoy."  
  
"Alright, alright, keep your hair on Potter. She's not even your girlfriend."  
  
"Apologise."  
  
Ron was now looking at Harry with something like approval.  
  
"Why? It's true. You'd better look after her, or you'll find that some people who aren't quite as gentlemanly as me might..."  
  
Harry tightened his grip.  
  
"Alright, I'm sorry."  
  
Madame Malkim hovered at Harry's elbow. "Mr Potter, please, put him down." Harry let go and Malfoy fell in a heap on the floor.  
  
"Come on you two, we're leaving, now!" demanded Ron.  
  
Ginny, despite Ron's protests ("It's far too suggestive!"), bought the dress and then went to get changed as Malfoy got up, paid for his now creased robes, and left.  
  
"He really was being quite insulting. Goodness knows what would have happened if you hadn't arrived," said Luna.  
  
Ron looked appraisingly at Harry. "Thanks mate."  
  
"If that bastard lays a finger on her..." Harry muttered, not really listening.  
  
Hermione and Ron exchanged looks behind Harry's back as Ginny rushed out of the changing rooms.  
  
"We all here? Yes? Where to next?"  
  
Neville stood with his grandmother in the Janus Thickey Ward, standing at the end of his mother's bed, watching her as she slept, her once smiling face deadened. It was like watching over a corpse.  
  
"Come on Neville," Mrs Longbottom pulled on a pair of scaly dragon-skin gloves. "We have to go now."  
  
Neville looked over to where his father was rocking backwards and forth on his bed, muttering to himself incoherently. "Yes Gran."  
  
Mrs Longbottom turned swiftly to speak to the Healer. "Bye Mum, bye Dad," whispered Neville.  
  
"Come on Neville." Mrs Longbottom was getting irritated now. "You know we have to go and see your Great Uncle Algie before going to the Burrow." Her voice softened slightly; "You'll see them soon enough. They won't disappear."  
  
Neville looked at her. "But Gran, what with Death Eaters escaping and everything..."  
  
"They're perfectly safe here, Neville, and you know they caught that Lestrange woman."  
  
"Yeah, but Gran..."  
  
"There's no 'but' about it Neville, now come on."  
  
"Well, I will admit Dean; maybe we were slightly hasty in sending that letter."  
  
Dean Thomas grinned. "Hey, don't worry about it, these things happen. I'd be the same if my little sisters started seeing guys a year older than them."  
  
"Yeah," agreed Fred, nodding his head vigorously. "Hey, d'you fancy mentioning this little chat to Ginny, you know, just to help clear the air a bit?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Great!" said George. "Now, as the formalities are over, would you like to look at this?" He held up a black cup.  
  
Dean took it from him cautiously and peered inside. Rockets and Catherine wheels were exploding and even mating inside the teacup. Tiny, spinning pink pigs occasionally shot out, making Dean duck quickly.  
  
"Wicked! That's amazing!"  
  
Fred looked at him as if he were a favourite nephew. "George..."  
  
"Yes Fred?"  
  
"It's good to be appreciated."  
  
"I agree. So," George said, turning to Dean, "You think they'll sell?"  
  
"Like hot cakes."  
  
A bell rang as the door opened and Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry walked in.  
  
"Gin," proclaimed George immediately, "We were just apologising to Mr Thomas most profoundly for our..."  
  
"Atrocious?"  
  
"Thank you Fred, atrocious behaviour."  
  
"And promoting 'Weasleys' Wildfire Whizbangs in a Teacup'?"  
  
"Well, couldn't turn down a business proposition Gin, you know us."  
  
Ginny grinned and turned to Dean, "How are you Dean?"  
  
"Great, wonderful, I..." he fell silent with an anguished look at Ron.  
  
"Ah, our little Gin-Gin's growing up."  
  
"Fred!"  
  
Hermione, sensing danger, took over, sweeping Ron, Harry and the twins into the storeroom. "Now Fred, about those Ears..." She closed the door firmly behind them.  
  
Dean breathed a sigh of relief and caught Ginny in his arms. "I never thought that I'd say this, but God bless Hermione Granger. I wasn't sure whether Ron'd let me sit opposite you in the Great Hall over breakfast, let alone in a room together unchaperoned."  
  
Ginny blinked and smiled. "Yes, well, we're alone now."  
  
"Yeah," Dean lowered his lips to hers.  
  
"Thomas!"  
  
They jumped apart guiltily and Ginny sighed at the sight of Ron's face scowling at them through the storeroom doorframe. "Don't push your luck mate!"  
  
"Morning, Weasley."  
  
"Morning, Minister. I know that it's highly irregular, but might I have the afternoon off sir? The whole family's meeting up before the children go back to school."  
  
Fudge looked at him, his pompous air obvious, even to Percy. "Certainly, Weasley, and give my best wishes to your parents."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
"Shall Dumbledore be there?"  
  
Percy looked at the floor. "I'm not sure, sir."  
  
"Yes...well...if he is...tell him...well...just thank him for helping out with that problem over the Notts," Fudge's voice grew stronger, "And that I've decided that we ought to extend the hand of friendship to the giants."  
  
Percy didn't bat an eyelid. "Of course sir."  
  
Alastor Moody sat at a decidedly battered desk glaring at Remus Lupin who was sitting opposite him. They'd been sitting there for about an hour, arguing determinedly about the tiny scrap of information that Bellatrix Lestrange had accidentally let drop.  
  
"Constant vigilance, damn it Remus! Constant vigilance!"  
  
"Alastor, she said that she is a Death Eater. What hidden meaning could there be in that?"  
  
Mad-Eye Moody looked at him in despair, "You'd never make a decent Auror Lupin, you've got to read between the lines."  
  
"You read between the lines Moody; what do you think she meant?"  
  
Moody looked thoughtful. "Well, I'd say that she's one of Voldemort's supporters, for starters."  
  
Mrs Weasley looked up from her seating plans for dinner that evening as her children and their three guests entered the room. "Ah, there you are dears," she stood up and addressed herself to Luna. "I'm Ginny's mother."  
  
"I knew it!" declared Fred.  
  
"Fooled by our own mother!" added George.  
  
"Or surrogate mother if you really think about it."  
  
Mrs Weasley glared at them. "Well, since you're here..."  
  
"Luna Lovegood," Luna stuck out her hand, "And I'm very pleased to meet you Mrs Weasley." Luna's expression was, as always, slightly vague.  
  
"And I, you. Ginny, take Luna and Hermione, oh, but where are my manners, hello Hermione."  
  
"Hello Mrs Weasley."  
  
"Now, where was I? Oh yes, Ginny," she turned to her daughter, "You take Luna and Hermione up to your bedroom. And as for you," she swung round to the vacated space were Fred and George had been standing. "I don't believe it! Now where have they got to?"  
  
She turned to Ron and Harry, "Mundungus has arrived, so would you two mind keeping an eye on him? You know what he's like, probably attempting bring stolen cauldrons again." She sat back down, shaking her head, "The Order these days..."  
  
"Come on," said Ron to Harry, grinning, "let's go to the kitchen, that's where he usually hangs out when he comes round."  
  
As they entered the kitchen, they were greeted by the sight of Fred and George already deep in conversation with Mundungus. All three of them sat, their heads close together, bowed over some plans of Knockturn Alley that Mundungus had been 'given'.  
  
Harry and Ron looked at each other and then hurried over. "Wow," said Ron, deeply impressed. The map not only showed Knockturn Alley in great detail, down to the last cobbled stone; but it also gave a list of the illegal substances that could be obtained from in shop.  
  
"Manticore blood," said George in tones of hushed reverence, "We've been trying to get hold of those since we discovered their powers."  
  
"Powers?"  
  
"Yeah," said Fred, speaking in equally revered tones, "Anyone who drinks it, speaks of secrets that even they didn't know they knew. Secrets that come from their soul."  
  
"You'd better be careful that Mum doesn't see that."  
  
Everyone seated around the table jumped a mile; Ginny was leaning against the larder door, a glass of milk in her hand. "Or any of the others coming here tonight, they might be our friends, but if they knew that you two were planning on buying Class A illegal substances, even they'd turn you in."  
  
Mundungus Fletcher looked sharply at Ginny, and then at the twins.  
  
"Don't worry, you can trust Ginny."  
  
She smiled lazily at Fred's self-assured tone. "And what if I turn you in?"  
  
"Ah, but you won't," exclaimed George. "Not when we tell you that we've earned enough money to buy you new dress robes."  
  
"Got some."  
  
"We'll owl Bill, telling him to bring the socks."  
  
Ginny caught her breath, "The socks?"  
  
"The socks."  
  
"George Weasley, are you trying to bribe me?"  
  
"I think we are, my dear sister," pointed out Fred, "since we have often tried to bribe you before, and it usually works; only we used to bribe you with pictures of..."  
  
Ginny interrupted before he could finish, "Bribe accepted."  
  
CRASH!!!  
  
The tail that Charlie Weasley was attempting to bandage thrashed up and down, and he dodged a number of spikes that seemed determined to lodge themselves in his spine. He turned to face the intruder.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Hi. You finished playing with your dragons yet?"  
  
Charlie grinned. "Nope, but someone else'll finish playing with this one for me."  
  
"He's a whooper!"  
  
Charlie smiled at her. "Come on, let's Apparate, I don't to be late."  
  
"Gotcha. You changing?"  
  
Charlie looked down at his leather trousers. "Nope."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Good?"  
  
"Charlie Weasley, I've heard so much about those ruddy trousers! And believe me; now that I've seen them for myself, I'm not gonna to complain!"  
  
Charlie threw back his head and laughed.  
  
Tonks waited patiently until he'd finished.  
  
He grinned at her, "Let's go." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
"Fleur?"  
  
"Yez Bill?"  
  
"We're here."  
  
Fleur sat up and glanced out of the window. "Eet looks...eenterestin'!"  
  
Bill followed her gaze to where the Burrow, being half-dilapidated already, was threatening to topple over.  
  
"Come on."  
  
Five minutes later they had left the Knight Bus and stood at the front door, luggage piled up beside them. Fleur knocked. She had hardly moved her hand when the door flung open and they found themselves and their luggage whirled inside in seconds.  
  
"Oh I'm so please to meet you!"  
  
Fleur met the tall, auburn-haired girl's eyes. "And I, 'ou. Fleur Delacour," she extended a well-manicured hand. "And 'ou must be Ginevra."  
  
Ginny took the pro-offered hand. "Ginny, not Ginevra. Oh I'm so excited; you're the first ones to arrive!" She turned to Bill, "Well?"  
  
"Well what?"  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Ginny groaned, "Don't tell me you've forgotten them!"  
  
"Forgotten what?" put in Fleur delicately.  
  
"My socks! Fred and George promised me that you'd bring them!"  
  
Bill grinned. "Oh. Those. Why didn't you say so? They're in the red bag."  
  
Ginny rushed to the luggage, chucking bags everywhere in her attempt to get to her socks.  
  
Fleur lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"Here they are. Oh Bill, they're gorgeous." And to Fleur's amazement she pulled out a couple of pairs of knee-high, multi-coloured, stripy socks.  
  
"Well," said Fleur slowly, "Zey would not suit me, but zey do 'ave ztyle!"  
  
"I couldn't agree more," said Ginny vigorously, giving her brother a hug.  
  
Bill was just about to ask after everyone when Luna drifted down the stairs; murmured a greeting randomly in the direction of Bill and Fleur and wandered into the kitchen.  
  
Ginny giggled at the look on Fleur's face, "That's my best friend, Luna Lovegood."  
  
"Oh," said Fleur faintly.  
  
"Well, I'll see you later then," and hugging her new socks to her, Ginny sped off in the direction of the kitchen.  
  
"Well," said Bill, grinning at Fleur, "What do you think?"  
  
Snape arrived with Professor McGonagall about five minutes later, his lip curling up as Harry opened the front door.  
  
"Good evening Mr Potter," Minerva McGonagall smiled at him.  
  
"Hello Professor," Harry smiled back, and then gave a curt nod to Snape, "Professor Snape."  
  
"Potter," Snape returned the nod with a slight inclination of the head. "How nice to see you."  
  
If Professor McGonagall noticed the strain between her student and fellow teacher, she chose to ignore it. "Come Severus."  
  
He paused and then smiled at her. He took her arm, "I'm coming."  
  
Harry looked after them in shock. "McGonagall and Snape?" He shuddered. Now, what would Ron make of that?  
  
"You see Professor Flitwick," grumbled Hagrid, "The Ministry don't appreciate these creatures, they'd kill 'em all if they 'ad the chance."  
  
"Quite!" squeaked tiny Professor Flitwick as they walked through to the garden, "Oh, thank you Miss Granger."  
  
Hermione turned away with the tray of drinks in her hand, her smile forced. Percy wandered over, "Ah, thank you Hermione." Her eyes flashed, but she managed to force out a "You're welcome," before turning away and walking, very quickly, in the direction of the house, muttering, "I will not lose my temper, I will not lose my temper," under her breath. Dumbledore might have forgiven Percy, but she hadn't.  
  
She passed Moody and Remus, just coming in, and smiled, genuinely this time, at them. Remus grinned at her and said quietly, "I'd avoid the kitchen if I were you, Kingsley, Hestia Jones, Elphias Doge and Arthur have all just arrived and you'll be there forever; we've only just got away!"  
  
She smiled at him again, and whispered "Thanks," before dumping the tray on one of the garden tables and marching off towards where Neville stood alone, rather stiffly.  
  
"Hello Neville. Tell me what exactly is this meeting going to be about?"  
  
Neville shuffled his feet. "The Order of the Phoenix?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes, a very un-Hermione-like gesture. "I know that."  
  
"Good gracious, is that Gran over there?" Hermione turned round and Neville made his escape.  
  
She swore under her breath.  
  
"...and they looked as if they were together!" finished Harry.  
  
Ron's mouth dropped open. "That's disgusting!"  
  
"Who's this?" Ginny and Luna sauntered over, arm in arm; Ginny wearing her garishly bright socks.  
  
"Do you have to wear those Gin?" pleaded Ron, throwing an anguished glance at the socks. "They look..."  
  
"Yes I do," said Ginny firmly, "So, what's disgusting?"  
  
"McGonagall and Snape. They arrived five minutes ago. Together."  
  
Luna giggled, "Didn't you know?"  
  
"Know what?" Harry looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Well, they've been seeing each other all summer. Daddy said that they even went to the Wizarding conference for the reinstatement of Dumbledore together. He says that it was always going to happen."  
  
"Oh yes?" Ron and Harry exchanged glances.  
  
"Yes, ever since he danced with her at the Yule Ball."  
  
"What?"  
  
Ginny looked incredulous. "Please don't tell me that you two didn't realise that! The whole school was buzzing about it for weeks afterwards."  
  
"Yeah, well," Harry said, "I was kind of busy, what with being one of the champions and all."  
  
Ginny turned to look at Ron, who looked as if he was going to be sick. "Well," he said at last, "I'm all for inter-house unity, but that's taking it a bit too far!"  
  
"Charlie! Tonks!"  
  
Tonks looked at Charlie, her usually bright features apprehensive. He squeezed her hand, "Hey, don't worry; no-one'll make anything of it."  
  
"Charlie, my lad!" George bounded out of the front door, closely followed by Fred. "And who might this vision of beauty be?"  
  
"No-one except Fred and George, that is," laughed Tonks.  
  
"Yeah, well, they're the exception to every rule."  
  
Fred looked at George, "I don't know how to take that Gred!"  
  
"Me neither Forge!"  
  
"Shut up you two," said Charlie, shooting a look at Tonks.  
  
"So Charlie," leered Fred, "Miss Nymphodora's your mystery date." He waggled his eyebrows.  
  
"Yeah," added George, "That's as good a piece of gossip as Bill's new girlfriend...old Fleur Delacour!"  
  
Tonks rolled her eyes and then linked arms with Charlie. "Come on Charlie-boy, let's knock 'em dead!"  
  
George sniggered. "Charlie-boy?"  
  
"Don't even think about it George!"  
  
Mrs Weasley bustled around her kitchen.  
  
"Molly, where do you want the drinks?"  
  
She turned to look at her husband. "Put the bottle on one of the tables that isn't flying around with all the glasses. People can help themselves. I tell you Arthur, this is the last time I'm doing this, this summer. Someone else can do it for a change. Do you know how much work goes into this?"  
  
Mr Weasley gave her a kiss, "Yes, and you're wonderful for doing it."  
  
She smiled at him, pacified, "Well, someone has to."  
  
Hermione jumped as Ron tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, it's you." She turned to face him and Harry. "Have you found out anything yet?"  
  
"Apart from Snape's sordid love-affair with McGonagall, no."  
  
"What? You didn't know about that..."  
  
"Don't you start," said Ron quickly. I think we must the only ones who didn't realise!"  
  
Hermione grinned. "Probably! Anyway, I cornered Neville and even he wouldn't tell me anything. In fact, he looked distinctly uncomfortable and escaped as soon as possible."  
  
Harry frowned. "The only thing I can connect it with," he said, "Is Bellatrix's attack and capture at Fred and George's yesterday, but apart from that..."  
  
"What do you think Ron?"  
  
"I dunno, something to do with some new plan?"  
  
"But why invite Neville then?" asked Hermione. "It just doesn't make sense."  
  
"Yeah, well neither does Snape and McGonagall."  
  
"Ron!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Remus took a large swig of Butterbeer.  
  
"Remus! How are you these days?"  
  
He looked up and saw Professor Hooch. "Fine; missing Hogwarts and Sirius like anything though!"  
  
She smiled at him and sat down. "I heard about that. I'm really sorry."  
  
He sighed, "Yeah, it's just that I'm the last now, out of our gang."  
  
"I know," she paused for a moment, and then said tentatively, "You might not remember, but I was the year below you, and one of Sirius' conquests."  
  
He grinned, "Everyone was one of Sirius' conquests. Do you remember the fights that used to break out over who was his girlfriend?"  
  
She laughed. "How could I forget? And how you and James used to call us the 'flavour-of-the-week'!"  
  
He looked at her as if he was really seeing her for the first time. "Do you want a drink?"  
  
She blushed like a schoolgirl. "Alright."  
  
"Charlie!"  
  
"Hi Hagrid."  
  
"Well, I've been meaning to get hold of you, but it's a bit hard, seeing that you're in Romania at the moment."  
  
Charlie grinned. "He's fine."  
  
Hagrid looked puzzled, "But you don't know who I'm talking about."  
  
Charlie's grin broadened, "You're talking about the one thing you ever talk about when you see me – Norbert."  
  
"Well?" Hagrid looked eager, "Does he remember me?"  
  
Charlie shook his head, amused, "Hagrid, he's a dragon!"  
  
Albus Dumbledore swept into the garden of the Burrow, only to be cornered by Madame Pomfrey and Madame Pince.  
  
"Albus dear," said Madame Pomfrey, smiling, "What is this meeting all about?"  
  
Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer and then, catching a glimpse of scarlet hair behind a bush, shut it.  
  
"Albus?"  
  
"My dear ladies, I'm afraid I can't mention it here," and with that he left them.  
  
"Well, Poppy," said Madame Pince, "Seems like we're going to have to wait."  
  
"Damn him!" said Ginny to Luna, as they crawled out from beneath the peony bush. "Damn them all!"  
  
It was only much later, after Dedalus Diggle and Emmeline Vance had arrived arm in arm, that dinner was served. They were eating out in the garden, the dining room only being big enough to house three house elves, and the battered tables had been enlarged after yet another game of 'let's- see-who-can-knock-a-table-out-of-the-air-first'.  
  
Down one end, Dumbledore and Moody were discussing the importance of constant vigilance, ("I tell you Albus, they'll be trying to snatch the Hogwarts portraits next") and down the other, Mrs Weasley, and someone Harry vaguely remembered as Hestia Jones, were talking about the use of domestic spells, ("And, Fudge wants to ban the use of cleaning spells; I know Molly, absolutely ridiculous!")  
  
Harry sat approximately halfway, next to Ron and Hermione and opposite Ginny and Luna. Luna was absentmindedly humming as she helped herself to a pile of potatoes, and looked up, startled, as his hand brushed against hers while reaching for the carrots.  
  
"Oh, sorry."  
  
She positively beamed at him, twirling her feather earring with one hand, "Don't worry about it!"  
  
Neville sat down next to Ginny, having been hauled up by his grandmother to 'tell Professor Lupin about his new Mandrake'. He smiled. "Pass the gravy Ron."  
  
"What? Oh, yeah." Ron silently handed it over, splashing some down the front of Hermione's top in the process.  
  
"Ron!"  
  
"Sorry 'Mione!" he mumbled, grabbing a cloth and trying to wipe it clean, and then froze when he realised what he was doing.  
  
Harry and Ginny exchanged looks, while Hermione flushed as red as Ron's hair.  
  
"Kingsley?" muttered Mundungus in an undertone.  
  
Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at him, "Yes?"  
  
"Pass the gravy."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Pass the gravy."  
  
"Why are you whispering?"  
  
Mundungus looked slightly embarrassed, "Molly told me to keep my voice down and stop making stupid comments."  
  
"But you're only asking to pass the gravy."  
  
"Yeah, but she's under the impression that everything I say is dubious. But I ask you Kingsley," his voice grew louder, "Am I dubious? Me?"  
  
"Mundungus?" Mrs Weasley was peering down the table from her seat at him. "What was that you said?"  
  
"Nothing Molly," he said, attempting a wide-eyed look.  
  
"Hmm!"  
  
"See!" he muttered to Kingsley. "See!"  
  
After the last plates had been cleared away and under the eagle eye of Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Harry and Luna wandered upstairs while everyone else went into the kitchen, ready for the meeting.  
  
Once in Ginny's room, Hermione pulled out a many-eared set of the infamous Extendable Ears. Everyone grabbed an ear and listened.  
  
The reception was terrible, probably due to the Impurtable Charm on the kitchen door, but they could still make out the odd word or phrase.  
  
"...dangerous..."  
  
"...blood..."  
  
"...memories..."  
  
"...Bellatrix..."  
  
"...hospital..."  
  
Hermione fiddled with a dial at the bottom of the Ears and the fuzzy quality almost disappeared.  
  
There was a short silence, and then, to their surprise, they heard Neville speak. His voice came over loud and clear, "But what are you going to do about it?"  
  
There were a few crackles, and then Remus spoke up, "Neville, we'll do all we can."  
  
"But that's not good enough! What if it happens again? Half-alive, believe it or not, is better than not alive at all!" 


End file.
